About Us

Haven Montessori is located in a historical building very close to Northern Arizona University. Each classroom has vast windows allowing in natural light and warmth, and beautiful views. Our school has the distinction of housing each age group from 4 months to 6th grade under the same roof, allowing for much interaction across the ages. Our current classrooms are as follows:

Nido (Infant) Community, for infants 3 months to 12/15 months. This class offers a safe and beautiful environment for infants to have freedom of movement and exploration. All manipulatives in this environment are made of natural materials, and the infants are encouraged to explore and experience the world around them independently with much love and encouragement. The guides are trained to offer the appropriate materials for optimal development through observation. The maximum enrollment for this class is 8 infants, and there are 2 adults, one a Montessori trained infant guide, and one assistant.

Toddler Communities, for children 12/15 months to 3 years. These classes engage the now mobile child with real work. Even at this early age the child can be seen washing dishes and mopping floors. A heavy emphasis is put on language as the child is in the sensitive period for learning words and expressive communication. All work in this class has the ultimate goal of enjoyment and the development of concentration. It is the age of work for the sake of work (not an end result)! It is here that the child begins to learn and practice using words for conflict resolution, rather than physical reactions. This age is also working on potty training, with a very positive approach. We have 2 toddler classes and the maximum enrollment for each class is 13 toddlers, with 2 adults. One is a Montessori trained guide and one assistant.

Primary Classrooms, for children 3 years to 6 years (including Kindergarten). This class now builds on the foundations of the toddler class. Now the child is taking his developing concentration and applying it to Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Mathematics. Explosions in learning happen at this age as the child learns to write and read, as well as the foundations of math and geometry are explored. Conflict resolution is expanded upon and so many “why” questions begin to emerge. The child is fascinated by the real world and in this reality-based environment he is always encouraged to explore his world. We have 2 primary classes and the maximum enrollment for each class is 29, with 2 – 3 adults depending on class size. One adult is a Montessori trained guide with 1 – 2 assistants.

Lower Elementary, 1st – 3rd grade and Upper Elementary, 4th – 6th grade. When the children reach the elementary, their psychological characteristics change. They become more social beings, they are interested in justice and moral values, developing their sense of right and wrong, and they experience great mental growth. Maria Montessori calls this the 2nd plane of development. The children change from a concrete, absorbent, sensorial learner to a child with a reasoning mind and a child who can abstract. We make use of these changes by opening up our curriculum with great lessons that build a framework of knowledge. The children hear stories about the creation of our earth, the evolution of life from the beginning of time, the coming of man, the emergence of writing, geometry, numbers and math. Subjects are not taught in isolation, but receive key lessons within the framework that are multidisciplinary. We foster gratitude for life, encourage independence and help them find their place in this world. We have two lower elementary class with a maximum enrollment of 25, with one Montessori trained guide and one assistant in each class. We have one upper elementary class with a current maximum enrollment of 25, with one Montessori trained guide and an assistant. Special Education services are provided as needed by our licensed Special Education team.